


And a Happy New Year

by What_a_mess (Myself)



Category: Longmire (TV)
Genre: Branch being a jerk because I’m lazy, Dancing, F/M, I am why we can’t have nice things, Walt having a hissy fit off screen, because I am basically incapable of not coming up with random OCs, past Cady Longmire/Branch Connally, some OCs, some angsty backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28471557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myself/pseuds/What_a_mess
Summary: A New Year's Eve fic of the Jady variety.Fill for requested: "Fake relationship for a party/the family. BONUS points if it’s Jady because Cady’s mad at Walt and wants to make his head explode."  Includes a brief nod to requested: "New Year’s Resolutions (anyone, especially if it involves humorously writing resolutions for other people)"
Relationships: Cady Longmire/Jacob Nighthorse
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14
Collections: Longmire Holiday Exchange





	And a Happy New Year

**Author's Note:**

  * For [call_for_help](https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_for_help/gifts).



> It is very important to me that you know that I mentally ‘cast’ Emery as James Earl Jones and Bitsy as Nichelle Nichols. ...I love the Langstons so much, ok?
> 
> Set after the election but before Cady officially meets Jacob in the show.
> 
> (This is largely unbeta'd because I wanted to get it up for New Year's. I'll be fixing things as I spot them.)

“Hey, do you want to really piss off Walt Longmire?”

Jacob turned in his seat to look over his shoulder, still holding his drink, raising an eyebrow. The gorgeous redhead in a blue dress standing a few feet back from his table looked familiar but he couldn’t quite place her. That was certainly a hell of a conversation starter, though. And while the answer was generally _yes_ , being obvious about it wasn’t usually in his best interests. He took a leisurely drink of his soda water, buying another moment to gauge both her and the situation.

Between her name dropping the Absaroka sheriff and the niggling familiarity, chances were quite good that she was from the county up north which raised the question of why she was at this New Year’s Eve party in Cheyenne. As appealing as the idea was of repaying some of the sheer aggravation that Longmire levied on him, Jacob hadn’t gotten where he was by being careless. On the other hand, she was truly lovely and the irritated look she wasn’t quite smothering didn’t seem to be directed at him which was promising.

“I’m sorry?” His obvious balance of inviting more information and maintaining plausible deniability resulted in a small smile on her face. She half gestured with one of the hands at her side asking, “Dance with me?”

 _Well_. Someone at his table choked on their drink before it resolved into a surprised laugh. Behind her, there were quite a few couples on the floor dancing to the live big band music. A beautiful dance partner at a fancy party would have been enticement enough, but the added promise of annoying Longmire was just too good to pass up. It had been a while since he’d done this kind of dancing but Jacob didn’t think he was too rusty. 

He flashed her a smile and set his drink down, standing and turning to graciously excuse himself from the people who had been his dinner companions. Emery Langston paused dabbing at his shirtfront to shoo him towards the dancefloor with the napkin and a laugh, telling him, “Enjoy yourself, son!” His wife, Bitsy, snatched the flapping cloth out of his hand with a dramatic eye roll to attend to his ridiculously expensive shirt, but winked at Jacob as well, a twinkle in her eye. Her dark hand was a bit stiff with arthritis when she twiddled her fingers with a sly grin aimed past Jacob and he turned back to his new dance partner to see her stifle a giggle.

Rather charmed, he gestured to the dance floor. “Shall we?” Unexpectedly, she took the hand he’d used to indicate the way and started off. He had to take a quick double step to keep from being towed along before he matched her pace, carried on his way by Emery’s booming laugh behind him. The band had been playing a mellow, mid-tempo Benny Goodman cover when she’d come up to his table but the singer finished off the song to light applause just as the pair got onto the dance floor. The singer walked the stand microphone off the low stage as the piano and bass started in on an upbeat tune. A few of the couples at the edge of the floor wandered off the floor and she turned to him, looking a bit worried at the change.

“The band certainly likes Benny Goodman,” he commented easily, raising their joined hands into the familiar position for most ballroom dances and turning them to face each other. She smiled in obvious relief and set her other hand on his shoulder so he put his free hand on her waist and started them with a simple step-hook step pattern in time with the music. She followed the steps easily and he realized that she had done some swing dancing before this. After a few bars of getting a feel for how the other moved and both of them gaining confidence in the other’s dancing, Jacob started to switch it up, shifting so that they were holding both hands freeing them up for some spins and turns as the trumpet stood for their solo.

Her skirt flared out pretty as a picture when she spun out to the extent of both of their arms before corkscrewing back around her legs when she spun back in and he caught her against his chest. She laughed a little breathlessly matching his footwork and said, “You’re good at this!” He turned his face to catch her eye and said with a wry look, “Surprise.”

“A bit, but a wonderful one,” she protested with a smile.

Jacob glanced around the tables as they danced but still didn’t catch sight of Longmire. He shifted from some of the flashier moves to keep her close enough to make it easier to ask, “I don’t see the good sheriff, so tell me, how exactly is this supposed to irritate him?” She glared off at the side of the room for a moment, but when he followed her look he only saw a brief glimpse of a tall young white man in a tux before the crowd hid him. “I don’t know for _sure_ , but I think that he told my ex to come to this party to keep an eye on me.” Jacob turned his full attention on her in complete astonishment. He was getting frustratingly used to Longmire’s rather obsessive focus but he hadn’t expected it to have been leveled at a young white woman.

“I beg your pardon?” he asked incredulously in case he’d heard her wrong over the music. He spun her under his arm and the bitterness in her laugh told him that he hadn’t mistaken what she’d said. “He pitched a real fit when he found out about my ex and me even though we’d already broken up,” she told him as they switched hands to turn, “but I can’t think of why else my ex would be here. And my dad can be a real piece of work.” _Her dad could be a—_ Jacob missed catching her hand on the return of a spin in shock. The band trilled the ending of the song, saving them from some of the awkwardness of the fumble. “Surprise?” she joked weakly, looking at him in chagrin. 

“You had no idea who I am,” she said, half question, half surety. Jacob straightened, narrowing his eyes minutely, trying to see the trap that was almost surely waiting after this revelation. “No, I didn’t,” he admitted carefully. She winced a little and stuck her hand out between them in some odd version of a formal introduction and said stoutly, “Cady Longmire, Sheriff Longmire’s _precious little girl_ ,” that same bitterness colouring the last few words. “Hi.” 

Willing to play along for the moment, if on his own terms, he raised his eyebrow and clasped her hand for a moment, returning the introduction wryly with, “Jacob Nighthorse, Sheriff Longmire’s favourite whipping boy. Hi.” She let loose a startled laugh before clapping her free hand over her mouth to muffle it, taken by surprise by the comment. “You’re not wrong,” she admitted apologetically.

The band had started up another fast dance tune and they were still standing a ways onto the dance floor so he started walking towards the side where the long bar was. She walked with him, her shoulders still shaking a tiny bit with the mirth. Off the dance floor but before they could make it to the bar, Branch Connally stepped into their path and the pieces fell into place. Jacob smirked up at Cady Longmire’s ex and was met with a suspicious glower. “Mr. Connally,” he greeted him pleasantly, finding it an unexpected treat to have the opportunity to get under the skin of another self-important thorn in his side. “Jacob,” the taller man gritted out, barely approaching civility before turning his attention to the woman at his side. “Cady, what are you doing here?” She sighed heavily.

“Well, I _was_ having a nice New Year’s Eve. What are you doing here?”

“Keeping an eye on someone,” Connally responded, but turned his narrow glare back on Jacob. Cady watched the exchange in surprise. “You have _got_ to be kidding me,” she said before crossing her arms and Connally looked back over at her. “You drove five hours on New Year’s Eve to stalk Jacob? What the hell, Branch. You’re making me even more glad I dumped you when I did; this would be like dating my father.” 

He reared back like she’d slapped him and Jacob pursed his lips slightly to keep the amusement from being quite so apparent on his face. This evening was turning out to be quite a bit more entertaining and enlightening that he had expected. Connally visibly gathered himself but Cady spoke again before he could. “ _I_ came all the way here to be able to wear a pretty new dress, and dance, and spend time away from all of the stupid drama that dad has ginned up. And yet, somehow, here you are.”

“Then what are you doing with _him_?” he asked, putting an ugly twist on the last word. Her jaw tightened for a moment before she responded. “Like I said. Having a nice New Year’s Eve. And it turns out that _he_ ,” she said, making the word bright and almost saccharine and slipping her arm through Jacob’s, “is a wonderful dancer and has a rather wicked sense of humor that I find delightful.” Jacob shifted his arm slightly so that their arms linked together with a familiarity that they hadn’t earned and smiled broadly at the white man. He could practically hear Connally’s teeth grinding as his jaw clenched repeatedly. 

“Cady,” Connally started with frustration. “Branch,” she snapped, cutting him off before taking a fortifying breath and continuing with deadly control, “It’s New Year’s, Branch. Why don’t you _resolve_ to leave both of us the hell alone for the coming 12 months, at least.” When he opened his mouth to try again she ran out of patience, hissing, “Seriously, just _fuck off_.” His face creased in obvious temper and he reached out to take her elbow, saying, “Come on, Ca—”

She took a quick step back at the same time that Jacob caught Connally’s wrist in a firm grasp before it could get near her, Connally’s chest bumping against his shoulder as Jacob put himself between them. They all froze for a moment and the conversation at the tables around them dipped as they drew attention with the momentary scuffle. “I think,” Jacob said lowly, deliberately forcing Connally’s hand back down, “that Cady was quite clear. Why don’t you find that gentlemanly upbringing of yours and respect the lady’s wishes.” 

Connally huffed a harsh breath out his nose and flexed his captured hand sharply by his side. Jacob held his grip for another moment to reinforce the point before letting go. Connally huffed out another breath, standing up to his full height and tugging his jacket sharply to settle it back on his shoulders before turning and stalking away between the tables. “What the _hell_ ,” Cady muttered to herself watching him go with a frown for a moment before turning to Jacob. 

“I think I might owe you more than one apology. I really shouldn’t have made things worse by telling him to fuck off,” Cady said wearily. Jacob chuckled. “Hardly. I owe you a drink for that at the very least. It was one of the highlights of my night,” he told her as he started them back towards the bar. She glanced at him sidelong as they found an empty place along the polished run of wood. “One of the highlights?”

He leaned against the bar facing her, nodding upwards to request the bartender’s presence when he looked in their direction, before turning his full attention back to Cady with a small smile. “Well, that dance certainly counts as a highlight, too. And that _is_ a very pretty new dress.” She flushed lightly at the obvious flirt and appreciation in his voice, not quite hiding her smile when she turned to face the bartender as he stepped up opposite them.

“What can I get you folks?” the blond man asked with a businesslike smile while he whipped a bar towel out from where it was tucked neatly into his back pocket and wiped some melting ice cubes into the small bar sink without taking his attention from them. “An old fashioned for me and…” Cady looked over at Jacob. “A soda water and lime, thanks,” he filled in, putting a pair of twenties on the bar while the bartender was already tipping ice into one glass and a sugar cube into another. She looked at Jacob in mild surprise. “Are you driving back tonight?”

“Not planning on it; I just don’t drink much,” he said, watching her reaction carefully. It was a stereotype he’d dealt with for his entire life, but she just smiled and said, “Well, thank you for my drink,” reaching for her cocktail as the bartender slid their glasses across the bar. “Keep the change,” he told the man behind the bar and started walking slowly back towards his table with her at his side. It was probably a 200% tip and he felt her eyes on him. When he met her look, her eyebrows were raised and he realized it probably looked like he had been showing off. He took a sip of his drink before explaining.

“I actually tended bar for a while when I was in college. Most people in this tax bracket,” he gestured to the fine suits and jewelry at the tables they were making their way through, “didn’t tip for shit. Can’t imagine that’s changed. And it’s the New Year’s, so.” He shrugged, brushing it off, but noticed she was still looking at him, now with a hint of a smile. “Where did you go to college?” she asked as he pushed in an empty chair and let her step past him.

The small talk took them all the way around the room, past her seat to retrieve her clutch, back to his table to where the Langstons were watching their meandering approach with clear interest. The rest of the table had emptied so Jacob pulled out the chair next to his for her. Emery rumbled, “Good lad,” on his other side at his courtesy and Jacob had an odd moment, struck by the unfamiliarity being referred to in such a paternal fashion. The older man was over six feet tall, but his barrel chest and deep, rolling voice made him seem even larger still, even sitting down with a whiskey stain marring his otherwise pristine shirt. The white of his close cropped curly hair gave away his age somewhat, but he’d been quite pleased at Jacob’s surprise when he’d told him earlier that he was in his late 80s and was taking great delight in emphasizing it by calling Jacob variations of “young man,” ever since.

Bitsy Langston paid no attention to either man, instead smiling broadly at Cady in welcome. “Why, aren’t you just lovely!” she said, clasping her hands to her chest, making Cady flush at the sincere praise. “So are you,” she returned the compliment honestly. “You look incredibly elegant, and that wrap is gorgeous.” The older woman had a long, bronze coloured wrap that complemented her dark complexion marvelously, and a glorious head of pure white hair that haloed her in an artfully coiffed nimbus of strands as fine as spidersilk. “Oh, I _do_ like you,” she told Cady before turning to Jacob. “Won’t you introduce us, Jacob?”

“Where are your manners, young man,” chided Emery, despite having just approved of his manners not 20 seconds earlier and Jacob sighed. “Bitsy, Emery, this is Cady Longmire from Absaroka County. Cady, Beatrice and Emery Langston from here in Cheyenne.”

“Call me Bitsy, my dear,” she told Cady before continuing, her eyes bright with intelligence and no small amount of mischief. “Longmire was it?” Cady only then remembered that they had both also heard her first question to Jacob. Admittedly with a start like that, she could hardly blame them for their clear interest in what no doubt promised to be some entertaining gossip, even not knowing any of the other parties. Which, to be fair, it probably was. “Yes,” she confirmed before filling in some of the blanks. “Walt is my father, and has a special talent for infuriating people, myself included. He’s also pretty well convinced that anything and everything that goes wrong in the whole county is _his_ fault,” she said, glancing over at Jacob.

Jacob tipped his head in acknowledgement, but his face was unreadable. It was a little bit unnerving because while they’d spent the last half hour or so enjoyably, they were still little more than strangers and Walt was a rather… divisive personality even for people he wasn’t targeting. “He’s the county sheriff,” she told the Langstons, “and it’s become this whole Thing.” 

Emery looked over at Jacob who was apparently content to turn his glass absentmindedly on the table and hear more of Cady’s point of view of the situation. Bitsy kept her attention on Cady who shrugged a bit awkwardly. The couple had that ineffable grandparent quality about them that seemed to invite sharing stories and confidences. Come to that, the odds were good that Jacob didn’t have much of the backstory that went into the origin of the whole mess that her father was making so much worse. 

“He’s gotten fixated now, but I think it goes back to my mom’s issue with the casino that Jacob has been trying to get built. Oh, he’s...” Cady started to backtrack, but Bitsy nodded while Emery looked thoughtful, and Cady realized they knew about the plans for the casino and glanced over at Jacob to find him watching her, his face still not giving anything away. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of that, but continued on regardless.

“It really wasn’t about Jacob for my mom, but the casino. She was pretty rabidly opposed to having a casino in Absaroka. She… She had some experience with the ugly side that can come with casinos right before people started talking about one coming to where we live.” She felt like the atmosphere at the table shifted when she paused, though the Langston’s were still looking politely engaged and Jacob just took a drink of his soda water, still not saying anything. Feeling slightly defensive but not quite sure why, she explained, “Her mother had a gambling problem. She lived in Billings and at first it was just weekends, but then she was spending most every day at one or other of the casinos. I had no idea how bad it was until she called me when I was at Fordham asking if she could borrow money.”

Emery and Bitsy both looked commiserating and Jacob’s eyebrows were furrowed as he listened, but there was more to it so Cady continued, turning her focus on her mostly finished old fashioned on the table. “That was before she was mugged in the parking lot at 83 and the fall left her in a mobility scooter after surgery.” She heard Emery hiss in a breath, but finished, “And then a few months later mom got the call that Grammy had passed on. Sitting at the slot machines. That wasn’t even a year before news about the plans hit the town gossips. So.” She didn’t look at any of them, lingering over finishing her drink instead.

In the heavy moment of silence, one of the two servers still circulating in the room stopped by the table and Cady took a moment to collect herself while the server talked quietly with the other couple before slipping unobtrusively away again. “Well,” Emery started, his eyebrows raised when Cady finally chanced a look up at him. “That’s admittedly…”

“...kind of a lot, yeah,” Cady acknowledged before huffing a sigh touched with annoyance again. “But it’s still not a reason for Dad to be going after Jacob like he’s the devil himself. Mom had her crusade, but since she died he’s gotten--” She broke off and clenched her jaw, the earlier frustration turning tangibly into a hard anger. She went to take a drink before realizing she’d already finished it and set the tumbler back down harder than she intended, the noise loud even through the tablecloth. She swallowed back the hurt and rage that had swamped her again just thinking about her last conversation with her father.

“Honey, what happened?” Bitsy’s voice was low and concerned. It was family business. Cady barely knew the Langstons and Walt considered Jacob an outright enemy. The resistance to airing their private matters was automatic but she felt a sharp flash of bitter defiance. Fuck that and fuck _him_. There was no reason it should have been secret in the first place. It _shouldn’t_ have been kept a secret from anyone, and _certainly_ not from her.

“He lied about how my mother died,” she said harshly. She had to take a moment to breathe, not able to pay attention to anything other than blinking back the sudden, furious tears. “He spent more than a year saying she died from the cancer, _lying to me_ , instead of telling me she was _murdered_.” She didn’t hear the sounds of shock from the other side of the table or Jacob’s quiet curse, too focused on pressing a shaking hand to her mouth, quaking from having said it out loud. 

She startled slightly at the feeling of a hand cautiously covering hers where it had twisted into a fist on the table. She followed the attached arm with her eyes up to meet Jacob’s somber, pale face. He kept his hand on her very light but she didn’t pull away, instead taking a deep, unsteady breath and working on relaxing her hand from the whiteknucked clench. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Her single bark of laughter was acerbic and devoid of humor. “Nobody did,” she rasped before shaking her head slightly. “Sorry. I just…” She broke off and his hand pressed hers gently and she managed another deep breath, doing her best to let it be cleansing. “I only found out a few weeks ago, and this is the first time I’ve actually told anybody else,” she told him, gaze heavy with the irony of the situation when she looked at him and then the other couple.

One of Bitsy’s hands was pressed to her chest and the other was holding her husband’s tightly. “Oh honey, I’m so very sorry. I can’t imagine. I’m sorry for asking,” she said, the obvious regret colouring her voice. “No, it’s alright,” Cady reassured her with a sigh. “Honestly, I think it was probably good for me to get it off my chest. I don’t know why I’ve been treating it like a secret after everything.” 

Jacob sat back, letting her hand go when she shifted, freeing her hands up to gesture dismissively. “I’m done with it. Who knows if it’ll last, but for right now I’m just _done_ with it all. I haven’t talked to him since he told me he’d lied _to protect me_ , and I don’t plan to. I’m sick of him deciding he knows best. He’s an _ass_ , so I’m going to do my best to step away from it all. Hence coming all the way down here where I thought I didn’t know a soul for nice New Year’s Eve. Which, until I completely killed the mood, was going rather nicely,” she finished, tone turning bright, if a little forced.

“It’s hardly the most awkward conversation we’ve had at a New Year’s Eve party,” Emery said, slanting a look over at his wife. She clearly knew exactly what other year’s party he was referring to because she snatched her hand from his and smacked his shoulder lightly with her fingers. “Oh _hush_ , you. They do not need to hear about that.” The effort was quite transparent, but Cady was immeasurably grateful for him shifting the conversation away from her to let her gather herself and leave the previous topic alone. Jacob leaned his forearms on the edge of the table to prod the new story along with a leading smile. “Oh, I think we definitely need to hear about that.”

Bitsy’s tiny smile gainsaid her disapproving scoff and Emery settled back in his chair to launch into a story about a New Year’s Eve party they’d been to in Tahoe the year earlier. He was a marvelous storyteller, regaling them with his entire family deciding to join their teenage great-grandson’s game of Cards Against Humanity with his friends. Within a few minutes all of them were in stitches when Bitsy chimed in with an imitation of his hapless mortification and Cady found herself relaxing again.

As their laughter died down, her clutch chirped on the table before it started ringing. Cady stared at it for a moment like it might bite her before muttering, “There is absolutely _no way_ —” After a beat, she opened it to slide her phone out. A call from “Cool Dad 🐻❤️” was coming in. “Well that was faster than I expected. I didn’t think Branch had Henry’s number,” she said dryly, stabbing a finger on the option to decline the call. Jacob snorted on an unexpected laugh, having seen the contact name on the phone’s screen. When the call ended, the screen showed a text from the same contact with the preview on the lockscreen just reading, “🆘🧨” and she flipped it face down, saying, “Shit,” with feeling.

Cady glanced up and caught Bitsy’s eye. Her carefully repressed curiosity in deference to Cady’s previous upset turned out to be just the thing to make Cady release the tension in her shoulders in a gusty sigh and roll her eyes. Bitsy relaxed into a conspiratorial grin and raised one eyebrow expectantly. Cady gave her phone an irritated little shove with one finger as it started to ring again and told the table, “My dad refuses to get a cellphone so getting hold of him is just calling various people until you find somebody near him. Tonight that’s apparently my godfather, who managed to text me a warning that Dad’s pitching a fit.”

Jacob made a considering noise, saying, “I didn’t know that Standing Bear was your godfather,” when she looked over at him. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” she told him with a cheeky little smile, trying to distract herself, earning a smile in return. The ringing stopped again for a moment before starting again with only a few seconds respite. Jacob’s smile slipped into something sly and Cady felt a flutter of something between nerves and excitement. She felt the Langstons’ eyes on both of them as Jacob leaned towards her slightly and asked, “Hey, do you want to really piss off Walt Longmire?”

She utterly failed to hold back the evil, vengeful smile that the reprise of the question prompted. “Oh dear,” Bitsy chuckled in unabashed delight. Both of the Langstons were back to enjoying the continuing mini-drama immensely in a way that highlighted the ridiculousness of the whole thing. Being able to take a step back and see the whole thing from the outside for a moment let Cady see the absurdity of her father’s obsession and all of the mayhem that sprung from it in a way that was hard for her when she was in the middle of it back home. 

“What do you have in mind?” Cady asked gamely. He nodded at her ringing phone and said, “Go ahead and answer.” She glanced from her phone up to the couple on the other side of Jacob. “Go on,” Emery goaded with a puckish smile and Bitsy’s eyes twinkled. They were distracted a moment later by the server returning with a bottle of champagne, four glasses, and some water for the table. The third attempted call quieted as she reached for the phone and Cady narrowed her eyes, knowing that wouldn’t be the end of it. Sure enough, the loud pop of the champagne cork heralded the renewed ringing and she held the phone up with a wry little waggle making the Langstons laugh again.

Turning her attention back to Jacob, Cady took a deep breath and hit ‘accept,’ purposefully not putting it on speaker. She held the phone away from her ear a few inches, Walt’s immediately ranting voice small and tinny between them when she traded an unimpressed look with Jacob’s amused one. Cady felt her stomach swoop when he leaned in near enough to the phone that his beard brushed her little finger and said, “Hey, you feel up for another dance, sweetheart?” 

He turned the endearment into something rich and languid and the diatribe on the phone line cut off abruptly. In the moment of ensuing silence, Jacob settled back into his chair. He reached out and hit ‘end call’ just as Walt started to say something at an even greater volume. Cady looked at him in horrified awe while Emery started chuckling, “And here I thought we paid for dinner and dancing, not dinner and a show.” 

Her phone started to ring yet again. Cady turned wide eyes back to the phone in the hand that had lowered to the table without her even noticing. She looked back to Jacob and he met her eyes, his terribly self satisfied smile gaining a bit of a challenging edge. Far be it from Cady Longmire to back down from a challenge, especially one that sent a thrill of something delicious zinging down her spine. Biting her lip over the devilish grin that was growing, she held down the button on the side of her phone, cutting the insistent ringing off when the phone powered down. 

“I think it’s time for a toast!” Emery declared grandly, pulling her attention from Jacob and the teasing sense of building anticipation. Once everyone had a flute of champagne, the older gentlemen raised his to Jacob and Cady and said, “To new friends in the new year! May both bring us joy, welcome surprises, and a clear view of a wide horizon.” They all leaned in to clink glasses and Cady was overcome with the hope that they would indeed remain friends. Both Langstons had been wonderful and reminded her of the fondest memories she had of her own grandparent and Jacob… Jacob had proved to be a delightful surprise.

When she’d first asked him to dance she hadn’t thought much beyond deciding it would be the best way she could think of to thumb her nose at both Branch and her father at the same time. Clearly an effective way, but more than that it led to her genuinely enjoying spending the rest of her evening in excellent company, talking and laughing. And the dancing had been fabulous. With that in mind, she turned back to Jacob as the band started up on a new song.

“About that dance you promised me,” she said, raising her eyebrows in flirtatious challenge. The laugh lines by his eyes crinkled as Jacob smiled and pushed his chair back, telling her, “It would be my pleasure.” He stood up, gallantly offering his hand to help her rise then hesitated. A moment later he came to a decision and shrugged out of his tux jacket and hung it over the back of his chair. Cady took the moment to pour herself half a glass of water to make sure she wasn’t paying a little too close attention as he then tugged his bowtie loose and popped open his top shirt button. She accidentally caught Bitsy’s eye and felt herself start to blush at her knowing look.

Having made himself more comfortable, Jacob extended his hand to her again with a flourish and echoed himself earlier in the evening. “Shall we?” The severity of her arch look was spoiled by the amusement dancing in her eyes when she took his hand this time. Not intending to be dragged to the dancefloor like he nearly had been last time, he started off straight away and she burst out laughing matching his pace.

The dance floor had more people this close to midnight but they were still able to find room and he set them off with a spirited spin that moved them farther into the crowd. The band was concentrating on up tempo dance tunes and when the Artie Shaw song changed to a Glenn Miller cover neither of them were inclined to head back to the table just yet so they just kept dancing. “You really _are_ good at this,” she told him, eyes bright and cheeks flushed. He started to answer but was cut off by a cheer raised on the other side of the dance floor and he spun them to look past a gap in where people had started to group up.

Two couples in not-quite-period forties-esque clothes were having what looked like some sort of dance off, continually one-upping each other with Lindy Hop moves and increasingly fancy footwork. “Not _that_ good,” he said, nodding to the dancers. 

“Good!” she laughed. “I’d never be able to keep up. Wanna go watch?” They’d both slowed to a virtual standstill catching their breath, leaning a bit to see over people’s shoulders and he abruptly realized she was pressed full length against him from their turn as she craned her neck to see better.

She glanced at him as she finished her question and they were eye to eye, faces closer than either of them expected and they blinked at each other for a moment before he nodded and they stepped apart slightly. She still kept hold of one of his hands though, and he realized that he’d been smiling more this evening than he was used to. The ring that was forming around the pair of couples was pushing back to give them more of the floor and they found themselves at the front without having to move more than a few steps.

Both of the men of the dancing couples were down to shirtsleeves though one had a waistcoat and bowtie and the other suspenders and a silver tie to match his partner’s mid-calf skirt. Both women had skirts clearly picked with the high kicking legwork and throws in mind. Jacob found his hand released as clapping picked up on the beat and Cady joined in. The band had clearly seen what was going on and had segued into a dance piece that he didn’t recognize off the top of his head and were giving the couples plenty to work with. The crowd was also eating up the sense of drama of the theatrical rivalry that they were building up with the exaggerated side-eyes and thumbs drawn across throats and “threatening” pointing.

All of a sudden the crowd exploded into hoots and hollers beyond their usual cheers when, at the end of mirrored spin outs, the women grabbed each others’ hands instead and started dancing, leaving their partners flummoxed and alone opposite each other. Jacob automatically put an arm around Cady’s waist to steady her when she tipped into his side with delighted laughter. The men in the ring stalked towards each other but it was on beat and growing increasingly obvious that the entire thing was staged. 

The music dropped to the drumset and base as the men faced off and raised challenging chins at each other. The band leader called out, “A five, six, seven, eight!” and the men shrugged in unison and grabbed each others’ hands, spinning out to be side by side with their former partners as the trumpet kicked back in with gusto and the new couples spun and kicked to the crowd’s raucous response. At the end of the song, everyone applauded the couples and the band and Cady and Jacob made their way back to the table.

When they got back, the Langston’s joined in their conversation about where they’d each done swing dancing before and it quickly devolved into more stories. They made their way through the entire bottle of champagne and most of the remaining hour before midnight before the woodwinds started a familiar rhythmic croon and Bitsy gasped and clasped her hands to her chest in rapture. “Emery,” she said, shifting her chair out and using it to help her to her feet, “You can’t say no now; they’re playing our song!” She patted at his shoulder in command before starting to make her way to the dance floor as he started to lever himself laboriously to his feet over the opening bars of ‘Sentimental Journey.’ 

“They damn well better be,” he grumbled halfway up, “I slipped the band leader a damn fifty.” He shot a wink at Cady with a sly grin when she dissolved into giggles and turned to follow his wife. By the time he met her on the floor and they moved into each other’s arms with the ease of more than 60 years of marriage, the trumpets came in in support.

Cady put her chin on the heel of her hand, elbow propped on the table, and watched them sway slowly together with a soft smile. Jacob watched her watching them with a small smile of his own. “You’re something of a hopeless romantic, aren’t you?” She tilted her head towards him slightly but kept her eyes on the couple on the dance floor. “It’s kind of hard not to be, seeing them like that, isn’t it?” He looked out at the floor to where the Langstons were shuffling in a slow circle, his head tilted down to rest his chin gently against her temple. 

Emery’s height and solid build made Bitsy look even more delicate against his frame and he held her as carefully as if she were made of hand spun crystal. They could see her lips moving as the couple revolved in each other’s orbit and it took a moment to realize that she was singing along with the song, serenading her giant of a husband. They both had their eyes closed and were clearly in a world by themselves, blissful smiles creasing laugh lines into their dark skin, papery with age and care.

Jacob looked back at Cady’s wistful smile and conceded, “I suppose it is.”


End file.
